Alcoholism, also known as alcohol use disorder, is an addiction characterized by increased cravings, consumption, and failed efforts to limit intake of alcohol. As the disease progresses, alcoholics develop increased tolerance and have withdrawal symptoms when they try to stop drinking. They continue to increase the amounts and frequency of alcohol consumption despite exposure to harmful situations, failure to perform daily obligations, and difficulty maintaining relationships. The denial, or inability of the alcoholic to see or admit that their drinking is causing havoc in their lives often makes treatment difficult without the help of family interventions.
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Possibly:
Many people self medicate in a variety of ways. Over drinking and alcoholism is one of the ways. Please remember this is only one possible scenario. To get a definitive diagnosis go to a therapist trained in treating alcoholism.
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See doctor:
If you are asking how to treat and deal with your alcohol problem, make an appointment with a psychiatrist who has experience with addictions. He or she will work with you to diagnose specifically what is your illness, and prescribe a treatment regimen to help with withdrawal and follow up long term sobriety. Treatments are safe and effective. Be serious and persevere, and it will be worth it.
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Five days:
Mostly, all withdrawal symptoms are over in 3-5 days. For those with severe alcohol dependency, withdrawal symptoms can consist of seizures and hallucinations. These are medical emergencies. A person could die, especially if elderly or debilitated with a chronic disease. What many folks do is to start drinking when the withdrawal becomes too uncomfortable, which only just repeats the cycle.
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Alcohol dependence:
Is not rare, but most people who use alcohol have no significant problems from it. In hawaii, a state that has good data, about 4% of adults admit to moderate or severe alcohol dependence. A national study found that of those who use alcohol, 3% drink heavily and have 3 or 4 signs of dependence & 1% are chronic or relapse drinkers with 6 or 7 signs of dependence.
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A Serious Problem:
Alcohol dependence is characterized by consumption of alcohol where if one stops drinking abruptly they experience symptoms of withdrawal. These symptoms can include tremors, cravings to drink more, depression, hallucinations, and in some cases even death. Anyone who notices any of these symptoms when they stop drinking, should seek medical help. There is treatment for alcohol dependence.
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No:
But, there are excellent treatments. I often prescribe a medication called Antabuse (disulfiram) for my patients with drinking problems. It works by making the person very sick if they drink while it's in their system. There are two other medications indicated for alcohol dependence-naltrexone and campral. Sadly, there is no cure. It's one day at a time.
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